Synonyms

Rules

British

/ ruːlz /

plural noun

short for Australian Rules
English history the neighbourhood around certain prisons (esp the Fleet and King's Bench prison) in which trusted prisoners were allowed to live under specified restrictions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rules for university admissions can vary by province; in one model used in Shanghai, a student can apply for up to 96 majors.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Rules on high-risk AI are due to come into effect in August 2026 and August 2027 unless the delay becomes law.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

The featherweight bout will be professionally sanctioned under the Unified Rules of MMA with five rounds at 5 minutes each.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

Any fan of “Dawson’s Creek” who went to see “The Rules of Attraction” during its original theatrical run was certainly in for a surprise, too.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

Psychologically, his behavior can be studied, for if he is a positronic robot, he must conform to the three Rules of Robotics.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023